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Saturday, August 10

Dad Discovers Daughter Isn't His After She Gifts Him DNA Test Kit.

When Joseph and Jennifer Cartellone's daughter bought them a DNA test for Christmas so they could explore their family tree, little did they know how shocking the results would be? They learnt that Mr Cartellone was not actually the biological father of the couple's daughter, Rebecca, now 24. Following fertility problems, Mr and Mrs Cartellone, from Delaware, Ohio, made the decision to try and conceive through in-vitro fertilisation - otherwise known as IVF. This was a success and their daughter was born in 1994. But fast forward nearly 25 years and the family are claiming the hospital and fertility clinic that treated them used another man's sperm to create the embryo. Mr and Mrs Cartellone are now suing the Institute for Reproductive Health, The Christ Hospital and Ovation Fertility, all of Cincinnati.

Mr Cartellone told Good Morning America: "When we looked at the results, what we immediately noticed was that that there were no traces of Italian DNA at all. And her DNA matched my wife's pretty closely."My disbelief turned quickly to shock and then ultimately to anger that this could possibly be the case."During a press conference, he said: "Never in my worst nightmare did I think that the Christmas gift of DNA testing for my family would unveil this kind of abuse of our trust by the very professionals from whom we sought help."This has been extremely difficult for my family. I want to do whatever it takes to make sure no one else has to go through what we did."Rebecca Cartellone purchased the DNA test kit for her parents last Christmas in the hope of them finding out more about their family tree. The results came back two months later with the devastating news. According to the lawsuit, Mr Cartellone and his daughter underwent a separate and legal paternity test which confirmed that she definitely isn't his biological daughter. In a statement to Good Morning America, The Christ Hospital Health Network said: "While we are evaluating the allegations surrounding events alleged to have occurred in the early 1990s, it is The Christ Hospital Health Network's practice to not publicly comment on pending litigation."